Comparison of different methods and extraction times on essential oil yield of
Piper gaudichaudianum leaves (Piperaceae) from Paraná State, Brazil
Diones Krinski1, Ana F. Godoy2, Michele Trombin-Souza1, Mireli Trombin-Souza1,
Cícero Deschamps1, Luís A. Foerster1,3
1
2
Graduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba/PR, Brazil
Graduate Program in Plant Protection, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu/SP, Brazil
3
Graduate Program in Zoology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba/PR, Brazil
[email protected]
Keywords: bioprospecting, Piper species, extraction protocols of essential oils.
Species of the Piperaceae family are widely used for medical purposes and, among the relevant
biological activities described for these plants, various properties can be emphasized, such as
antitumor, antimicrobial, hypotensive, antiseptic, analgesic and insecticide. Therefore, the essential
oil of this family has been used in different sectors of the pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetic
industries. However, studies to optimize the extraction methods of essential oils from this plant
group are still scarce and commonly follow protocols established for other botanic families. Thus,
the aim of this study was to test different times and extraction methods to obtain the highest yield
of essential oil of fresh leaves from Piper gaudichaudianum. The plants were collected in São José
dos Pinhais/PR on July 12th 2015 and were identified in the herbarium of Botanical Garden of
Curitiba/PR. For essential oils extraction of P. gaudichaudianum from the leaves three methods
were used: whole leaves, chopped leaves (with scissor), and triturated leaves (with blender). We
also tested different extraction times for each type of leaf preparation (1h00m, 1h30m, 2h00m,
2h30m, 3h00m, 3h30m and 4h00m). Three extractions (repetitions) were performed per treatment
(extraction time x leaf type). Each extraction consisted of 100 grams of leaves into 1 L of water
placed in a glass flask of 2 L. All essential oils were obtained using a modified Clevenger-type
apparatus. A completely randomized design with treatments in a factorial scheme (3x7) was used.
We tested the interaction between type of leaves (x:1) and extraction times (x:2). Data were
submitted to variance analyses (ANOVA), normality and Tukey tests at 5% probability. The
average yield of essential oils varied between 0.68% for triturated leaves with 1-hour extraction
and 1.84% for chopped leaves with 4 hours of extraction. The results showed no interaction
between the tested factors (Df= 12; F= 1.4214, P= 0.1945; C.V.= 14:56%). However, there was
significant difference for the isolated factors (extraction time - Df= 6; F= 20.3300, P< 0.001 and
type of leaves - Df= 2, F= 10.2917, P= 0.0001). Whole and chopped leaves yielded statistically
more essential oils than the triturated leaves. From 2h30m and more there was no significant
increase in essential oil yield. This data is important because it reduces almost in half the
extraction time commonly used for Piperaceae species (4 hours). However, the compounds
identification present in extracted oils should be performed to verify if all the compounds present in
leaves are available in the oils obtained after 2h30m extraction. Considering these results, we
suggest that for P. gaudichaudianum use of chopped leaves and extractions time of 2h30m,
because they provided the best yield (oil quantity). In addition, we highlight the necessity of studies
for compare the main chemical constituents obtained in these extraction methods, and verify if the
quality of the extracted oils are significantly similar between the different processing of leaves and
extraction times.
Acknowledgements: UFPR, CNPq, CAPES.
th
8 Brazilian Symposium on Essential Oils - International Symposium on Essential Oils
November 10 to 13, 2015 - Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
ISBN: 978-85-66836-11-0
Poster 179